Professional Bass Fishing Tips

Many boaters and fishermen often ponder how they can have more successful and enjoyable bass fishing experiences. Those who make a serious hobby out of bass fishing might find ...read more the following guidelines and tips to prove useful during their next outing.

Bait and Luring A fish won't come to the hook if you are not offering it the right bait. Different fish will respond to different types of bait, so it is important that you match the correct bait with the correct fish. A universal bait/lure that works well on various species of bass fish are called grubs, which is, especially effective on big smallmouth bass, but can also be effective on largemouth bass. Furthermore, the shape of the hook/bait will play a part in whether or not you are successful during your fishing experience. In the event of bass fishing, jigging spoons will be the best option in luring the fish to you. Spinnerbaits will not be nearly as effective as jigging spoons, so you will want to steer clear of spinner baits. In thicker waters, you will want to use swimming spoons.

Familiarize Yourself Bass fish have their routines and habits that may prove useful to you as you plan your fishing trips. For example, there are certain times of year when the population of fish multiplies greatly. Specifically, the count is higher just before spawning season. Your chances of getting a great catch (or possibly even multiple catches) will be increased if you center your plans around the time before bass fish begin to spawn. However, if you find that you've caught a female bass, you should throw it back because the females should be able to begin/complete the spawning process.

Weather is also a clear indication of when and where the best times and place to plan your fishing trip. Obviously, harsh weather conditions are out of the question, but some milder weather conditions and the time of day could make every bit of difference as well. The best weather to go bass fishing in will be on cloudy or overcast days. In the sun, the fish will not stay around – it is in their nature to disperse and take shelter when the sun is out. It is not impossible to catch fish when it is sunny. They will be in more secluded areas that might be harder to access. Make the necessary preparations and you could have a decent chance of catching them in those areas.

As far as timing in the day, the same concept will apply as the weather factor. You should go swimming in the earlier hours of the morning when the sun isn't completely up yet, or later in the evening as the sun is setting. Practicing these techniques will improve your chances of fish being out and about and increasing your chance of catching them.

Keep all of these things in mind, and you will find that you have more memorable, successful, and enjoyable experiences in bass fishing with your friends and family.

Know the Habits of Bass – The type of weather dictates where bass may or may not be; when the sun is shining bright, bass will look for shelter to protect them from the sun. When it is cloudy outside, the bass will come out of their protective shelter. When it’s sunny out you’ll want to fish near areas where bass might go for shelter. Keep your lure or live bait close to possible areas that bass might use for shelter.

Fishing for Bass at the Right Time of Day – The best time to fish for bass is the first few early hours of the morning or the last few hours going into the evening. Bass will feed during the afternoon time if it happens to be a cloudy day or if the water is muddy. It's recommended that you get to your favorite fishing hole about an hour before sunup or an hour before sunset.

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What Do I Need To Go Fishing (Video)

A video on what you need to go fishing, from the Boating Guy. Presented by Discover Boating ...read more

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Keith the boating guy and today I'm also the fishing guy. Now, if you're like most fishermen, you're always looking for ways to hook the big one. Well, I can't promise you'll come in with more fish then fish stories but I can talk about ways to tip the scales in your favor. Since most fishermen own multiple rods and reels, let's talk about where to stow your stuff first. To make the best use of space on your boat, outfit it with as many rod holders as you can. Rod racks are meant to be placed on the side of the hull, can hold up to six rods horizontally. Tube style rod racks are mounted vertically on the side of your boat's consol. They take up very little space. While flush mount rod holders need only a few inches of gunnel to add rod storage.

Now, if you're wondering what gunnel is, it's the top edge of the boat's side that forms a ledge above the deck. Now, let's tackle- tackle. What do you do with all those lures, sinkers, bobbers, and other sorted weapons in your fishing arsenal. Tackle organizers are a great alternative to portable tackle boxes. Those shallow plastic trays have different size compartments that hold your lures and other gear securely in unused space on your boat. If you prefer live bait, you'll need a way to keep your bait fish alive. Larger boats often have built in bait wells, dedicated tanks with pumps and plumbing to provide clean aerated water big fish need. For smaller boats, a portable bait tank is a good idea. Of course, to catch fish you'll need to find them. You and I both know that's easier said than done but a good fish finder can help.

A fish finder is an electronic device that uses sound waves or sonar to see under the water. By processing the sound waves, a fish finder can determine water depth. Submerge structures are just where those little sneaky fish are hiding. A fish finder display shows you what the sonar sees. Displays vary by unit. Display resolution is measured in pixels. The higher the resolution, the sharper the picture. Be sure to look for a unit with a display that works well in direct sunlight. A fish finder's transducer sends out and reads sonar sound waves. The sound waves radiate from the transducer in a cone shape called a beam. A transducer with a wide beam width shows a larger area of the bottom in shallow water while narrow beam width works well in deep water. Fish finders work best if they're mounted in an area free from turbulent or bubbling water like off the right side of the transom and they're installed perpendicular to the lake bottom. Fish finders can provide other useful information. Some models have sensors that can read surface water temperature.

Paddle wheel transducers equipped fish finders provide fairly accurate boat speed which is good to know if you're trolling. Bottom hardness may be shown as a horizontal line on the display. Some models use fish icons to identify potential targets however fish arches which are formed as fish move through the sonar beam offer a much more accurate way to tell the difference between weeds that look like fish and actual real fish. Alarms that sound when you're in shallow water can stop you from running a ground or hitting bottom which is easy to do... read less

Fishing and Boating

This Boat-Ed safety course video provides tips for safety while fishing from a boat. It recommends wearing a life jacket and not overloading your boat. Other boaters should steer clear of anglers fishing from boats. ...read more

Video Transcript

If you fish from a boat, think of yourself first as a vessel operator. Know and follow all safe boating laws and requirements. Pay attention to the capacity plate and don’t overload your boat. Most importantly, wear a life jacket.

Anglers using boats can be at risk. Unfortunately, anglers capsizing or falling overboard are common fatal boating accidents. Other operators who encounter fishing boat should slow down. Give them a wide berth and avoid making a wake.

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